Crystal Ashes
by Blushing Petals
Summary: San is just beginning to realize her feelings for Ashitaka when he is taken prisoner by the Emperor. After almost a year of hopelessness San is told that Ashitaka is still alive and she takes off to save him. Love story!
1. Wish

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or places.

Crystal Ashes

Blushing Petals

Chapter 1: Wish

Closing her eyes she let her body twist numbly through the cool sapphire waters around her, her fingers at her sides, twining with the cool laces of water fluttering past her. Water brushed over her smooth cheeks as she opened her dark, earth colored eyes. Reaching out her hands her fingers touched the cool, faceted object that glittered below the glassy waters. Wrapping her hand around it she brought it to her heart, sighing. Taking the silk string she tied it around her neck, tears clouding her sharp eyes as she watched the glittering black crystal thud against her chest. Turning her face she looked up through the azure waters to see the dusky sky. The sky was stained rose mixed with pearly light and a lemony sun sinking past the shelter of trees around her. Watching her bubbles surface filled with golden light she felt her eyes burn. Finally she surfaced as well, her face crested with sunlight and her cheeks glittering with tears. Bringing the crystal dagger to her lips she whispered.

"Ashitaka..." Soon she felt herself falling back into the night before...

:Flashback:

* * *

His eyes watched her lovingly, the fire of the world around them burning within his dark eyes. Silently he touched her cheek, giving her a small smile before he let himself fall away.

"It's the only way to end it..." He'd whispered in the moments before he let himself fall into the pit of battle. As he did so she watched, her eyes filled with fury. Leaping away from the cliff she clasped onto Ashitaka's rippling form. The wind whistled past their bodies as they fell to the glassy waters below where men dressed in crimsons and whites fought the people of Iron Town. She held tightly to him as he wrapped his arms around her. Then he whispered in her ear. "I love you San..." With that they hit the icy waters of the calm lake. Thunder broke out above them as the sky churned angrily. San felt as Ashitaka's form was ripped away from her. Tossing in the waters she surfaced to see the battle calm as Ashitaka was dragged from the crystal waters a knife held to his throat.

The people of Iron Town watched nervously as he was brought to the Emperor. The crippling old man took the blade hatefully.

"How dare you steal my immortality!" The ancient man rasped before the earth around them erupted in smoke and flames. The forest exploded in fire. The flames licked hungrily at the running soldiers and the smoke filled their lungs. Jumping from the waters San ran to where the Emperor had been her eyes full of tears. But the red and white cloaked men where gone, as if they'd never been there. Throwing herself to the ashes she cried out, reaching for the crystal dagger that the handsome teen had given her.

"It's gone..." She whimpered, holding her chest where the trinket should've been. Looking back to the chilled waters she knew she must've lost it in the fall. Crawling towards the waters she stood, soon crumpling into a heap as she fought for air...

* * *

:End Flashback: 

Cradling the dagger she lifted her eyes to the place where her only human friend had vanished.

"This is all you left me, Ashitaka..."

* * *

Gasping, Ashitaka lifted his sore body from the splintered wooden floor. His eyes eased open, slowly focusing on the stern faces around him. Thick black bars separated him from the angry soldiers that marched beside him. Closing his eyes he tried to remember what had happened. Slowly the images of the fire and Iron Town's loyal warriors came into view. But his strongest memory was San, watching him gently, gripping the crystal dagger he'd given her... He'd told her he loved her but had never received an answer.

Soon he spotted a plush red throne being carried on the backs of four sturdy men dressed in the velvety red of the throne. The Emperor sat in a clump, his beady brown eyes webbed with wrinkles and his thin lips locked in a scowl.

"So my little thief has woken up..." He spoke sharply, watching Ashitaka. "You were not as hard to retrieve as I had thought." Lifting his eyes Ashitaka's face was calm.

"I jumped into your arms, Emperor." The Emperor snarled then.

"What was your reason for doing such a foolish thing?" Rasped the old man.

"It was the only way to save her..." Ashitaka whispered, his chocolaty eyes darkening, now stained with black. The Emperor snickered.

"You may have saved her, but you'll never see her again." He responded. "You're my prisoner now, thief, and you may even someday re-retrieve the head that you stole from me." Slowly he leaned back watching the young man. Ashitaka felt pain bolt through his heart. It didn't matter if he ever saw San again... She might not have ever loved him back.

* * *

Hope you liked it! The next chapter should be up soon! Please review

Blushing Petals.


	2. My Mother’s Blessing

Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Mononoke, or any of the characters :) they all belong to Hayao Miyazaki

A/N: I named San's wolf brothers myself, but if anyone knows their true names, tell me :) I did this because I never heard the movie mention their names.

Crystal Ashes

Blushing Petals

Chapter 2: My Mother's Blessing

Thunder. The sky roared in outrage as all the world continued to spin beneath its furious tears, when at times like these it should've halted. San sagged against the drippy pewter-like cave wall of her den… She dipped lower to the dusty ground and curled into a ball, her dark eyes staring out hollowly at the beaded forest. Nothing was the same… Nothing was easy, or set… No morals or actions were simple. Nothing was left but an empty shell. It had always been that way, she supposed, but before she hadn't had something to fill her emptiness to know she wasn't full…

Nudging her, his eyes, like bright suns—like Moro's—watched her as she collapsed into herself. Growling lowly he stood and padded next to her. Nudging her he sniffed her face and began to mold himself to her, twining himself protectively around her, as though she were his pup.

She merely shivered at his touch and retreated further into herself, her eyes once again locked on the gray skies. At that Alkine growled, his hair prickling on his nape.

"San..." He whispered gruffly. San turned to face her companion. She studied him calmly, remembering a time when they had been young, and unafraid of the vast world.

But now they lay, side by side, their eyes full of sorrow and emptiness, older in their bodies… but mostly in their hearts.

"I cannot stop your pain..." He rumbled, letting his snout rub against her cheek once more, trying to calm the pain that rolled like waves from her small frame. The scars of the battle still traced along his brow and stomach and paws, never fading, even after months and months had passed, marking features on his face that were not part of any of her happy memories.

"I know…" San whispered back, her eyes brimming with tears that she refused to let fall.

"Nobu has moved on—he is the eldest and it is his place to keep our blood running thick and our clan alive. But you and I, our destinies are elsewhere." He replied, never once letting his gaze flicker back to San. He could feel her body stiffen at his words then listened as her heart-beat steadily increased.

"And you will stay beside me, Alkine?" Alkine smirked, listening to his human sister's words.

"I will." With that both let the tension seep away, and slowly they gained the joy they'd lost deep within their dreams…

* * *

"Mother…" San whispered, kneeling beside the place where her mother had breathed her final breaths. The land where Moro had been was now covered with wild, twisting, beautiful white orchids. And just a few feet away, Okkoto's final resting place was covered with vivid, sun colored flowers, the kind that had thrived within his homeland, and nowhere else…

Cupping her hands she retrieved the water from the lake beside her and poured it across both sets of flowers.

"You both were brave and good…" She announced, bowing low to the resting places of the Gods. "And have earned the respect your clans and you deserved for the rest of the generations of our earth." Once again she kneeled beside her mother's grave and watched it with glistening eyes. _I wish that neither of you had passed…_

After the moments melted away and the sun began to sink below the trees San shivered and began to speak to Moro. Locked in golden and crimson light, everything seemed slow and ethereal.

"I need your blessing, mother, for the journey that I and my brother are about to take. It is what will keep us strong, and what will keep me knowing that the journey was the right choice, for you, Goddess of the Wolves… you, my mother, approve of my choice."

The silence went on for what felt like decades, and the sun kept the world in dim, honey colored light, as though the world were waiting, holding its breath, just as San was. But she sat quietly and patiently, waiting to see if her mother would reply, or if her journey sickened the Goddess.

And just as she was going to sigh and crumble into a sobbing mess San saw, out of the corner of her eye, and huge black bat, even larger than Moro, with large golden eyes watching her, hanging from the thick limb of a tree. It blinked, eyes just like those of Moro's clan, watching San in the silence of dusk.

"…A bat from the lands to the south?" San whispered, watching the bat as it watched her. Suddenly warmth rippled through her, and the smell of stone and wolf-scent blocked out every other sense she had. Her vision blurred, fading until she could see nothing but faint shapes in the thick, gold, twilight… And her mother's face, smiling.

And as quickly as it came, it left, leaving her shivering, staring wide-eyed at the now darkened world. Looking around her, there were no traces of the gold-eyed bat, but the flowers across her mother's resting place seemed brighter and more vivid than she had ever remembered them to be.

"Thank you, mother…" She whispered her voice low and full of love and sorrow.

* * *

Yakul was outside of their den, watching the opening with wide, eager eyes when San first spotted him.

"You are lonely without your brother, and your friend, aren't you?" San asked in a gentle tone. The early morning wind was brisk against her body. Behind her Alkine stood tall, his eyes scanning the lands. Months had made him grow larger and stronger, and now he'd almost reached his mother's size, though he had hardly reached her seemingly infinite age.

"We will find him." He replied briskly, watching the red elk with compassion. "We have all lost those that we love most in the world…" He finished as he kneeled to allow San onto his back. Fisting his fur she held onto him and he leapt from the cliff, Yakul close behind…

Her breathe caught as they fell, the sky and forest blurring together, as though the wind were stitching the colors together to a point where there was no up or down, just a constant lack of both.

Alkine landed with a thud and was instantly tearing away through the brush and bark and dirt.

Burying her face in his fur she mumbled against him.

"Where….?" She asked, using only one word to illustrate her entire question.

"The bat you described is a member of Dai's clan, the clan of prophets, born of the God Dai himself who was blessed long ago by the Forest Spirit with the ability to see far into the future." Alkine spoke in a low, thunder-like voice, his paws continuously beating the earth, like war drums, as they sprinted forward. Yakul neighed behind them, easily echoing the young Wolf God's speed. Together they ran, nothing but shadows flittering through the dark of the thick forest.

San blinked back the wind that ripped past them, gripping the crystal dagger that he had given to her... It felt like so long ago when she had last seen his eyes, burning with the warmth of a million fires…

"Haro." Alkine finished. "The tunnels and caverns beneath Haro Bay lead far beneath the ocean, and that is where we will find Dai." San nodded, watching the sky, flickering through the leaves, tiny shards of pure blue, past hundreds of emerald leaves.

"Haro." She repeated her voice hoarse and her eyes strained.

Warmth prickled through her and instinctively her eyes flashed behind them… where a patch of the forest gleamed with gold and a single dear sat, watching as they left the haven of his forest, a small smile gracing his lips.

* * *

Thank you for reading and thank you so much for all the support you have given me in comments! Tell me what you think!

Blushing Petals


	3. Dai, God of Bats

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters ;)

Crystal Ashes

Blushing Petals

Chapter 3: Dai, God of Bats

Alkine's back was arched and his nostrils flared… It had taken weeks to reach the bay, and now— in the complete black of the southern night—something prowled nearby with wide, crimson eyes. The ocean crashed against the sharp rocks, sending shivers rippling through San. Behind them, Yakul shivered his ears upright and his body hunched, ready for attack. Branches cracked behind them, and instantly San spun, her eyes wide as she started to circle her companions protectively.

Her heart had begun to thump wildly as the coolness morphed into heat, sending shivers and sweats up her spine. The fire of fear had already washed through her mind… Lowering herself into a crouch, she watched Alkine, waiting for him to react. His ears twitched, and then his eyes widened and gleaming like two harvest moons in his snow white fur.

The red eyed creature was silent but prowling as it moved towards the cliff, glancing back at the trio occasionally, as if not sure whether to tear them to pieces or leave them where they stood. She could feel its predatory gaze as it landed on her… she could feel _it_ all around her, but her eyes would not allow her to see anything but its glowing blood tinted eyes as it moved from place to place.

That was when she heard Yakul whimper, and at once Alkine began backing her and Yakul into the shelter forest.

Suddenly a screech resounded, filling the air with the deafening sound, like sirens, like the wail of something dying. The screech was then rivaled by the sounds of cannons and men yelling…

And once they were hidden in the shadows of the trees, they watched in the red light of the gun fire, as a giant bat battled a group of forty humans. Farther down the coast she could see hundreds of red eyes watching the scene from within the mouth of colossal cavern. None seemed worried. Before long three more bats surrounded the men and each clenched a fistful of men and tossed them over the sheer cliff into the razor-like rocks below, until only the leader of the attack was left, his body shaking and completely dominated by fear. And seconds wasted until the leader of the group of bats tore the man to pieces and the bats took flight, back to their own haven within the cave…

And nothing was left on the bay but the stench of blood, and shattered armor of the warriors. Shivering, San's eyes locked on Alkine.

"They are prophets." He said simply. "They know what battles they can win, and what battles they should flee."

"They fight like demons… not like noble gods." Alkine frowned watching the eyes fade to the black of the cave.

"No… they fight like _humans_." He whispered with disgust.

"Our mother hated them." San whispered, her eyes wide, trying to see through the thick darkness to see more of the battle scene.

"She must have felt that he could help us now…" He whispered. "He is forgiving… and he is a powerful ally, but only an ally to Shishigami… I am not sure how this will work." Alkine finished, his eyes darkening as he looked out, his fur rippling in the wind. Sniffing he sighed and placed his head on his paws. San growled.

"Mother would not lead us astray." Alkine nodded, smiling softly. Chuckling he studied San, his little, fierce, human sister, with a spirit as strong as any wolf's.

"And she gave us her blessing…" His tongue hung out as he curled himself around San and Yakul. San blinked, rubbing her eyes…

"The dark is infinite…" Her voice was low as she closed her eyes and pictured what the new day would bring.

* * *

"_San, I love you…" Ashitaka whispered as he leaned into the wolf-girl, breathing in her scent… like rain and stone and wild flowers. Looking up at him with wide earth colored eyes she smiled and kissed him softly._

"_I love you Ashitaka…" Her face twisted then, her nose and mouth elongating and her eyes glowing golden. "I love you." Her voice was a howl and suddenly he was burning…_

_His head was wounded… Her wolf brothers were chewing his head… But her eyes were pleading, no matter how foreign they looked now, they were still San's… she was still the one he loved._

"His fever is worse than Lady Eboshi expected…" Toki whispered, running the damp cloth across his forehead. Aiko, the woman Eboshi had sent with her, shivered, chewing her lip as she watched the handsome young man's face twist in agony.

"Fevers like this are almost always fatal, Toki…" Toki blinked, chewing her nail at Aiko's words.

"We'll see about that. Lady Eboshi trusted us to find him and keep him well…" Toki hummed as she pulled thicker blankets around him. "If we overheat him, he'll break into sweat, and hopefully keep cool as the air hits the sweat… But keep his head cool. His mind cannot overheat anymore… He's already so… so _lost_ in the fever dreams…"

"San…" Ashitaka whispered through cracked lips… His voice was weak and hoarse, but still he spoke… repeating the wolf-girl's name over and over, until it felt that it was etched into the cold brick walls of his imprisonment.

"He will get better." Toki said, her voice determined and her dark eyes full of sparks of hope.

* * *

Morning tore at San's sleeping eyes, violent fingers of liquid sun ripping her from soft dreams. Shivering she sat up and desperately rubbed her eyes, trying to see through the barriers of pure white sun. 

Alkine growled next to her.

"The sun here is so much brighter than the sun in our lands…" He groaned, burying his face in his paws.

"Why?" She asked, staring at his form, a searing white blob beneath the strange sun.

"Because this is _our_ land. The sun and the darkness, both strongest in these lands, do not bother the sightless eyes of our clan." Shocked, San spun around to see the huge, black bat, with dull red eyes. Instantly she stood and bowed.

"We are of Moro's clan," San spoke, her head high now. But before she could finish the bat nodded and kneeled.

"Moro died protecting Shishigami." He replied. "Dai told us that Moro's human child would arrive looking for someone to help her in her journey. So follow me and we will see what Dai has to say, young ones." The bat was calm as he stood and glided away, his enormous black wings fluttering in the breeze.

Following the God they entered the cave, their eyes wide, trying to see through the thick darkness. Immediately they were swallowed whole by the hot, onyx black cave, until their eyes ached from the complete dark… But after a few moments they reached a place where crystals began to glow along the walls, making halos of sapphire and emerald light in the once pitch black. San gasped, her eyes at last focused, and the seething pain of staring into pure darkness now gone from her head.

At last their pace slowed, and ahead she could see their destination. The final Cavern glowed crimson like the eyes of the Bat's of Dai's clan, each crystal like a vivid, orchid sprouting from the dark walls. That was where they saw him… a bat three times Alkine's size with huge, shimmering, blood colored eyes that focused on no place too long.

"So you have finally arrived young ones." Dai spoke with a voice like calm winds sifting through the silver grass of an open field. San shivered—his was the voice of the first Gods, a voice woven of life and nature itself. Her eyes were full of awe as she traced his features… His thin ears twitched, delicate like petals atop his massive head, and his velvet fur shone through the darkness. "Did you expect a God of the ancient times?" He asked, filling the cavern with his beautiful voice. Alkine bowed, his own gold eyes shining like the full moon.

"I did not, God of the Bats…" San replied as she too bowed low to the icy stone of the cavern's floors. "My mother, Moro, Goddess of the Wolves, sent me a visage of a great bat with eyes the color of our clan's eyes… I believe she wanted me to seek your help." The great bat nodded at her words, his expression saddening.

"I have much to give you," His voice now was wind, whistling through empty rocks and sheer cliffs… "But first I ask of you one thing." The cavern around her shook, making her stumble in her place, filled with the echo of his words. "The humans here have slain Yaro, the spirit that protects our precious lands, and placed its essence within their leader's body. All I ask is that you kill him, and free the spirit that Shishigami placed on these lands. Without it the younger generations are weak in body and in mind, and if this cycle lasts much longer I will be forced to slay the young in order to preserve and cleanse our race." San blinked, bowing her head so that her long lashes cast shadows across her smooth cheeks.

"Of course Dai. But you promise to aid us as well?" She asked softly.

"Yes, young human child." He replied, like a grandfather laughing at his grandchild's ridiculous insecurity. "Come forward." Obediently she moved forward, her steps slow and careful like a hunted creature. Her dusty brown eyes were large as the bat reached out a winged arm and touched the crystal dagger that glittered on her throat. "Think of things you wish to see, young one…" The large bat whispered his voice in her mind just a wave crashing against the sheer cliffs…

Alkine jumped, howling in outrage as San's body went limp, and crumpled to the polished onyx rock of the cavern floors.

* * *

Tell me what you think! I really do appreciate the reviews—they let me know how I'm doing ;) so review! 

Oh!! And I have a special shout out to Kyuubis-child and Haileyamandar, you guys made me smile and laugh. Thank you so much for still reading, and for the support :)

Blushing Petals


	4. Fever Dreams: Part One, Spirit Journey

Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters except the bat race and my beloved Dai ;)

Crystal Ashes

Blushing Petals

Chapter 4: Fever Dreams—Part One, Spirit Journey

An old man robed in glistening silk stared across the colorful city below him. Decadent designs drowned the rich material, the colors of gold etched onto the ruby silk. The only undecorated surface on his body was his balding head and his brown eyes that sunk into the wrinkled flesh of his face. His face was built for worrying and anger, with lines where his lips had been pulled tight and formed a solemn line across his face and dents where his eye brows scowled and knitted together and where his nose had wrinkled in rage.

When the darkness faded he was the only person San could see. Shocked she pressed herself against the wall, baring her teeth and crouching. Though she stood in front of him, and possibly in his direct line of view, he never acknowledged her appearance. He simply stared out on the city, his eyes dancing greedily across each jewel-toned building.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and two guards entered, flanking a young woman dressed in thin red robes. _Toki _a voice chimed… San looked up, her eyes full of disgust as she watched the woman look up at the emperor.

"_Ashitaka's friend?"_ Her mind asked. The chime sounded again, forming the word 'yes'. For a moment Toki's dark, mahogany eyes flickered to where San stood, but quickly they drew back to the emperor. San shivered, not understanding why no one had spoken of her presence…

"Emperor," Toki's voice was soft and submissive against the icy feel of the gold encrusted room. Fire ignited within San, making every inch of her body seethe with the heat of rage.

"_Ashitaka is stupid!" _Her mind growled. _"His human friend betrayed him."_ Hissing she jumped from her place and screamed, pulling a knife from her belt. Leaping she used the force of her fall to plunge the small dagger through the girl… But San's body faded and she reappeared against the wall that she had started at. Eyes wide she touched her dagger and watched as the girl continued speaking with the Emperor.

"It was wise of you to allow Lady Eboshi to send us to care for the sick child, since she has proven to be an ally of yours before. If we were not here to cure him I'm afraid the whole city would have been infected with the illness by now." Bowing her eyes glimmered.

_Lies_ The chime was louder this time, resonating through her mind… That was when it hit her.

"I am on a spirit journey." She said aloud with a gasp_"Think of things you wish to see, young one…" _Dai had sent her on a journey, using Ashitaka's Crystal Dagger to anchor her. She must be close to Ashitaka. "Lies…" She whispered. Toki's eyes held the sparks of a kind of dishonesty that only mortals used… "What do you lie for, Toki?" She snarled at the girl.

The Emperor eyed her greedily.

"Of course, this is for the best of my nation." He agreed. "That young girl with you—she is an apprentice of yours?" He asked, his voice twining richly, dancing like a nobleman's voice—the sound of a man who viewed all he did as burdening, as though someone else should have to bare through the parts of his life he disliked. "Very well, keep tending to him… When the illness fades, I will no longer have use for you…" Toki nodded.

"I was here to discus your plan for him, and the extent to which he needs healed." The emperor smiled, his eyes twinkling. Shivering San backed away.

"I want Ashitaka to pay his debt." The man said, his voice thick and airy… and nonchalant in the matters of life and death.

"_Disgusting human." _Her mind howled… that was when her vision blurred, the gold, crimson and lilac hues of the room began to melt together, creating a thick, velvet black… Like Dai's glossy fur, it shimmered…

* * *

Trembling San opened her eyes, trying desperately to see through the darkness, until finally, with a burst of color Iron Town came into view… Now it lay buried in plush grass, no longer warring with the forest that surrounded it. Sighing, she now stood at the open gates, her eyes flickering across the men guarding it. The men's eyes held glints of happiness. 

"You damn humans _never _pay for what you do." She whispered viciously, wishing she could leap out and kill each one of them like wild game… the way that they had killed _her_ people.

Walking forward she saw the women smiling and giggling as men nearby farmed… the town had changed so much from the smoky hell it had started as.

"Forest Spirit… Why did you cure these _humans_?" She asked softly, watching the once sick people that Lady Eboshi had used to create her weapons as they laughed healthily alongside the others. "And why then could you not save my mother and Okkoto?" Her voice was desperate now, tears seeping from her darkening eyes.

The crowd of brightly clothed women parted to reveal the black-haired, red-robed woman… Her right arm was completely gone, leaving the sleeve of her robe dangling uselessly. Roaring, San leapt up and ran towards her, desperately trying to break into the physical barrier to kill the woman who had slain the ones she loved… who had cursed her mother and her lands…

_Be at peace, child. _The chime hummed, forcing her to still. Snarling San fought to move, but the chime would not let her. _And watch. _As Lady Eboshi headed towards the gates, San's legs carried her close behind. Fourteen women came from the buildings to follow Eboshi, each dressed in snow white with bouquets of flowers in their hands.

"Where are they going?" San asked frustrated. But the chime remained silent, and San simply followed, now willingly.

When they entered the forest a warm chill ran through San's body… Each step she took was lighter until everything faded into whiteness. After a moment or two it the forest faded back into view.

Now the women and Eboshi stood beside the grave of her mother, as if her spirit journey allowed her to skip the walk.

"NO!!!" San fought the barriers, finally breaking the invisible hold.

The edges of her vision began to melt into darkness, but fighting she plunged the dagger into Lady Eboshi's heart. She could feel it hit, and bury itself between her ribs. The woman stumbled, gasping as she gripped her heart. Shaking her head she stood again… Leaving San shocked.

_Strong child. You broke the spirit barrier I've kept on you. I will not allow it again. You stabbed her with a spirit weapon… She will feel it for her life but it will never be fatal. Calm your spirit or you will be trapped between the physical and spiritual realms, with no true body._

This chime whistled, making San gasp and struggle for air. Such a shrill sound… Like a bat screaming in rage.

"She wants to hurt my mother's resting place!" San cried, now sobbing like a weak child. Looking up she watched through eyes blurred by tears as Lady Eboshi chuckled.

"Moro does not like me here—she tears at my heart from her place among the heavens." A woman was now holding Lady Eboshi upright. "Place the flowers on their graves… and whisper prayers to them… They are Gods… but they are also families to the forest and each other…" The women followed her directions. When they'd finished Lady Eboshi pulled a thin gold chain from her pocket. On it a single gold platelet rested… scribed upon it were the words 'honored ones'. Placing it between the graves she looked to the sky.

"That Princess Mononoke saved me in the end… she did not deserve to have her mother taken from her at such a young age… Time has taught me that my ways are greedy and selfish… Yours were not, and I honor you now, offering my apologies. I do not expect forgiveness, or even to be allowed to leave this forest alive… But still I offer these things with my heart, understanding we both killed to protect our own." San stood shocked as Lady Eboshi bowed to Moro's grave. No words could come to her mind… Once again darkness took over, coming and blurring her vision, preparing her for the next place her spirit would appear.

* * *

This time the dark vanished unlike any other time, taken over abruptly by fields and fields of white orchids, and tall trees, and brooks and the soft hum of the wind rushing across the downy soft grass. San stood, her body now able to _sense_ her surroundings, unlike any other vision… she could smell and feel the wind as though it were_ reality_. 

That was when the giant white wolf came into her view… The wolf's thick white fur was glossy beneath the gentle sun and each step she took more white orchids sprouted. Behind her hundreds of wolves, some much larger than her, and others slightly smaller, sprinted through the grass, alongside other animals…

"Mother!" San screamed, her heart thumping wildly as she ran desperately to reach the now smiling white wolf. Hugging her neck San burst into tears.

"Daughter… I sensed your spirit floating about and brought you here." San smiled hugging her tightly. "I love you, dear one, and I always will. Someday you will live in this heaven, among Gods and human's with good hearts… and me. One day we will all be together again." Her voice now was silky like petals, and hummed like rain falling. Hugging her San pushed the tears back.

"Thank you, mother, for saving me… Through everything…" She whispered, watching her mother with nothing but pure love cascading through her vision. "I miss you… life is hard without you beside me… to guide me… and hum to me as I sleep…" Moro smiled gently.

"My little girl…" She whispered. "You have grown so strong. I can see you and Alkine and Nobu… You make me proud." She finished, nuzzling her daughter. Behind her a wolf twice her side came up as well as Okkoto and Nago. Gasping San watched them. The wolf smiled at Moro and began speaking.

"Your human child is beautiful as any wolf, dear daughter." Moro nodded to the other wolf, watching her daughter with pride in her eyes.

"This is my mother, San…" She hummed as the other beamed at San. Okkoto then pushed his way forward, his eyes bright, and black, seeing all that passed.

"Thank you San. You are a brave child, standing beside a demon, remembering the God it used to be… My warriors are here," He whispered. "I have no rage. Here we are forever together and safe." San felt the tears gushing from her eyes.

"Someday I, too, will be here?" She whispered back, her voice shaking. Moro only smiled.

"Yes, my child. Your years are like moments in this world so I know I will only have to miss you for awhile, and then once again we will be together. And, yes, the journey you are on is a noble one… and you have my blessing." San smiled hugging her mother, and breathing in her scent, warmth prickling through her.

Together they stood, beautiful glowing beings in a perfect world of emerald and diamond tones… full of silky flowers every color San imagined… and full of _peace_.

* * *

A/N: San had to see Moro one last time with the promise that one day they'd be safe together in the end otherwise I was going to cry. 

Anyway, thank you so much for reading, and again I am sorry for the wait between Chapters 1 and 2. So tell me what you think! I am _dying_ to know if anyone still likes it!

Blushing Petals


	5. Fever Dreams: Part Two, Ashitaka

Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Mononoke :)

Crystal Ashes

Blushing Petals

Chapter 5: Fever Dreams—Part Two, Ashitaka

Moro's eyes glistened—amber stones shining vividly within San's mind. And though San now lingered in the darkness that let her move between the worlds, her mother's eyes still glowed lovingly in her vision and the feeling of her mother's soft, winter-silk fur still danced across her fingers.

In the blinding darkness she squeezed her eyes shut... She only wanted to reach one final place.

Chewing her lip her heart thudded, like thunder in her small body, sending ripples of fear through her. Pushing the cold sweat from her eye lids she whispered one final word.

"_Ashitaka_." As soon as it had left her mouth she felt the darkness drop from her feet and the noise of bats screeching filled her ears. Each voice shrilled until together their voices were a single siren, ringing endlessly through her thoughts… The chime hummed in her head—_Dying_.

* * *

The small room was dark and damp, and cool against her skin where the warm breath of the heavens had caressed her. San's vision still spun with remnants of colors, as though she had been staring into the sun. Rubbing the splinters bright rainbows from her eyes her gaze at last settled on him… 

He laid, his eyes squeezed shut as he fought the seething pains, and his body trembling from the overbearing heat of his sickness. Gasping San ran to his side, throwing her arms around his wasting body. And to her surprise her arms touched him—she could feel him. His hot, sweating flesh, and rapidly beating heart rested beneath her, each solid, and real, invading her senses. Tears gushed from her eyes as she watched him, her fingers wrapping around his soft hand…

_His illness brings him into the spirit realm… Right now he dangles between life and death…_ The chime was mourning now as it spoke within her mind. _He can see you, San. You are clearer to him than anything now…_

Tears still rolled down her cheeks as she watched him. His eyes rolled beneath their lids, searching the landscape of the nightmare he was lost in. Whimpering his eyebrows knitted together and his now withering form stiffened as he coughed. Almost at once his vivid brown eyes flashed open, instantly locking onto hers.

His dark eyes were dull and glazed with sickness, but as he watched her she could see reality returning to him, making his eyes and face flush with emotion. San blinked, her gaze still resting on him, her own eyes filled with sorrow and desperation…

"What did they do to you…?" She asked, her voice trembling as she stood and backed away. Ashitaka watched her, his lips now in a gentle smile.

"Love you so much San…" He whispered, his voice strained. Coughing he rolled onto his side, his once luminous eyes soft as he watched her. San shivered, hugging herself.

"Those humans are disgusting!" She cried, her body shaking with rage. Ashitaka then pushed himself up, and stood. "Lay back down!" She ordered, her voice lacking the strength she'd intended. And she could only watch, her heart aching, as he drew closer until at last his arms wrapped around her…

He clung to her as he slowly lost his strength. Propping him up, she felt the tears rushing down her face faster than before, blurring her vision and filling her nose with the smell of hot salt. Holding him she moved them both back to his bed, and laid him down once again.

Then, as soon as she had him tucked in and comfortable, she curled up against him, placing her head against his chest, her body heaving with silent sobs.

San clutched his hand, holding it to her lips, her eyes flickering up to see his eyes half open, filled with tears that mirrored her own…

"I see you sometimes…" Ashitaka whispered, his fingers tracing circles and words and promises on her hand as she held it to her cheek. Shivering he pulled her closer. "You are afraid and sad when I see you…" His dry lips parted and his eyes squeezed shut, as though he were trying to block the visions. "I wish I could fix it… " He whispered, his lips against her ear… The smooth rumble of his voice still lingered, though his voice now grew weak...

Hugging him she pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"I'm going to help you…" She whispered, her eyes searing with determination and anger and compassion. Smiling he moved her hair from her face with frail hand.

His hand against her face was icy… But his body was sweating as though he were too hot… Sighing she chewed her lip…

_How can I save him…? I know nothing of human illnesses or their cures…_ Her mind churned and a sickening feeling settled over her chest… Placing her hand above her heart she watched him.

_I can do nothing._

"You don't love me… do you?" He asked, body stiff, waiting for her to reply.

"Stupid boy…" She whispered through tears and forced laughter as she tugged his arm tighter around her. "I love you so much, Ashitaka. I love you." And when the words left her mouth she couldn't stop whispering them…

Bliss now lingered in his dark, glittering eyes, and it made her want to cry harder—she knew her time with him was dwindling…

_Cherish these moments, young one. _The chime hummed, a vicious reminder that soon she would no longer be cuddled against this boy that she worried so strongly for—a cold dagger plunged into the warm world she'd found beside Ashitaka…

Together they laid, San sighing the words against his chest, until both fell into soft dreams… Their chests rising and falling in calm breaths… their worries lost as they eased away from the realities of their world.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and for the reviews:) Short chapter, just Ashitaka and San :) tell me what you think! 

Blushing Petals


	6. Look Through the Eyes of Another

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Princess Mononoke except the few that I have added :)

Crystal Ashes

Blushing Petals

Chapter 6: Look Through the Eyes of Another

He was vast, even among the steep cavern ceilings. His eyes, like glowing rubies, seemed to flicker—flames dancing in his velvet head. He was truly the vision of an ancient god. His eyelids lowered then, a dark veil dragging across the world that lingered within the stunning red of his eyes.

Her eyes at first had opened, expecting to see the damp golden crown of morning in Ashitaka's world… But instead it was Dai that her gaze settled on—a shadow lost in hues of red. Splayed against the icy umber rock of the cavern she could still feel Ashitaka's warmth as it clung desperately to her body. His smell still surrounded her, filling her lungs and head—but he was far from her ruby tinted world...

"It is my gift… to soothe your spirit while you wait to reach the ones who you care for..." The huge bat hummed, his voice carrying like the wings of a million bats beating against the cool air. Pushing herself upright her eyes searched the darkness until they landed on the searing white form of Alkine. Alkine's golden eyes widened as he watched her.

"San?" Alkine whispered through sharp teeth. Slinking towards San he lowered his nose, nudging her and sniffing, checking for injuries, as though she were a fragile pup. At last his luminous eyes flickered upwards and he smiled. "You're alright…" He whispered, watching her with eyes full of relief. Dai watched them, an ancient, wise figure, towering above them.

"It is rare that I send mortals into the spirit realm." He said at last, his great sigh pressing against the cold walls… Alkine's eyes flashed upwards.

"It is rare when Gods are capable of such feats." Alkine bowed his body low against the floor.

"It is an art of the ancient times, and I have carried it with me all my years. It is nothing amazing, young wolf God. Though your complements have made my chest swell." The Bat's eyes sparkled with soft joy and laughter as he spoke. San had not imagined such a gentle being before… She imagined the Bat had always been kind and careful with the emotions of others, and that even mortals would respect the mercy that he carried within his old soul. Alkine straightened himself sheepishly.

"Now, let me tell you the events that have passed, for knowing such things will certainly help you in this task."

"Yaro is the spirit that gives our clan strength, and I suppose that this is the best place to start…" Dai whispered, his voice unraveling like a long thread, spinning the colors of the story together. "When Asha, my young and beautiful mate, and I came here this land was young and fierce. In those times we were both weak, and new to the world, with minds clouded by our young love... But Shishigami saw this," Dai's eyes were almost closed now, as though he were gazing into the past. His face was etched in soft, longing concern… Smiling warmly he continued with a soft sigh—the sigh of an old man looking back on years that he could not change, though he truly, with every inch of his being, longed to.

"Though the lands were well suited to our race, we remained weak—for that is the price we pay for being able to gaze into times that have yet to occur… So far from Shishigami—life giver and taker—we would not survive… But Shishigami knew this, and as our wise father he sent us Yaro, a spirit of the sheer cliffs… Yaro appeared to us, a strange bat, barely the size of a _human,_ with huge, golden eyes—eyes that blazed within our minds' eyes, even when our own, almost blind eyes could not see them.

The day he arrived, I remember so clearly, for it was the first day I _saw_." Dai's eyes squinted, and his lips curled into a small grin. "You see, our race cannot see—we see through our visions of the future, and through the echoes that our voices make, but we do not see the lush colors of the present. But Yaro let Asha and me look through his eyes. And we saw, for the first time, the world before us—a plethora of colors dripped across a palate we'd known to be nothing but rigid shapes and things yet to be… he said it was a gift that he did not need to give—a gift that was purely from the kindness of his timeless soul.

On that day he made a pact with us, promising to provide us with the physical strength we needed to survive here, so long as we used it to protect our lands if the need were to ever arise.

Decades and centuries passed peacefully, and Yaro provided us with the strength of body we needed… Yaro was a part of our clan, a brother that stood beside us, a friend…" Dai's voice was mournful, rain carried in a screaming wind—a world bowing before the dawn of a new day. "But one day members of our clan began to speak of humans upon our lands. Visions of them building, and scarring the earth came to both the eldest and the young... They lasted for months—horrible nightmares of men mutilating our home—until finally the first of them arrived.

Asha and I journeyed to the Forest Spirit to ask for aid, and wise words, but Shishigami said nothing but that we were to remember the kind gifts… We left confused and unable to understand we, Gods of Bats, sources of immortal fear to the humans, and angry beings, harmed by the humans, could possibly give them kind gifts."

Dai's eyes were brilliant now as his voice grew louder. San could see the torrents of rain and wind beating against the onyx cliffs as. Staring straight ahead his eyes darkened, like drying blood… Never did his eyes flicker away from his memories.

"When we arrived back home the humans had built their village and their farmlands… And we decided that so long as they did not destroy more land than they needed to live upon that we could welcome them… and forget that our visions had captured them defiling the land that they did _not_ need. We lived for a year, suspicious and hidden from the men until we heard the sounds of the land wailing, crying for mercy. I assembled my clan and we discussed what we should do, but Asha had already left… she had always been rash, and quicker to act than think.

The sounds of the battle were horrible. Her screams echoed through that black night as she tried to find the humans that attacked her… By the time we reached the grounds where the battle had occurred she had already been slain—driven from the humans' homes, and onto the edge of the tallest cliff. She, unlike us, was not afraid or hesitant to protect the land… And in the end she paid for the human's and our own mistakes.

The bodies of mortals surrounded her, each with hands that would destroy our lands. Their leader, Erokai, lay in the front of the masses of lifeless men, his wounds fatal for a mortal. None of these deaths made up for her own…

And it is this battle that caused Erokai's people to trap Yaro within him. They saw how Yaro gave our clan strength, so in order to keep their leader alive they captured our brother… And after only a few months Erokai was healthy once again—healing that only our spirit could enforce. He is important to them—I suppose much in the same way that I am important to my clan—and his survival has helped them prosper.

Those events were barely eleven years ago… But I can feel our clan weakening with each day that passes." San could now see dozens of pairs of eyes watching Dai as he shivered with sorrow. "Shishigami told us to remember the kindest gifts, and when I foresaw your arrival I began to understand that you're destiny is closely entwined with our own." Alkine shifted, tilting his head.

"Has Erokai, leader of the Southern humans, lived this long then?" Dai chuckled, sorrow drifting in the soft laugh.

"Of course. As long as the spirit resides within him he will live—the power of Yaro is so great that if it is in the possession of a mere human that their years will stretch on forever. Those fools do not understand this though, and in their desperation they have only doomed themselves and my Clan…" San nodded, her fierce eyes glittering like dark crystals.

"And I am human—something they need not fear." San finished. Dai grinned, blind eyes flickering.

"Yes. So now you understand our position. But I also remember Shishigami's words and Yaro's kindest gift. So I suppose you are indeed the one we needed to find." Nodding he unfolded his wings—vast velvet darkness against the red world. "Perhaps you will find the mercy within yourself that I, an old, injured God, could not."

* * *

The sun was a glaring stain in the pale sky, beating on San's back with hot talons. Here the sun was paler than it had been where Dai's Clan resided, though it was still painfully bright. Her mind for awhile was lost in thoughts of Ashitaka and his warm world… It seemed like he was forever away now, or just a fading dream.

Mostly her thoughts were on Erokai. In her mind he was a huge, towering man, with withered pale skin and tiny ice blue eyes that looked much like Haro's ocean in the face of the coming winter. Shivering, she would cast a cautious look towards the graying sky, and spend a moment wondering what the winter in this land was like. Occasionally her thoughts would even wander away into daydreams of what life would be like if Ashitaka had never left.

But all the thoughts that varied from the weather to her purpose in life halted when she arrived at Asha's cliff. The realization that she was just a single soul in a sea of millions hit her…

The crisp cerulean sky and pewter clouds seemed to twist around the single cliff… And above that the sun was just a sinking blot, leaving stars, like dust, in its trail. Her breath had caught in her throat as her eyes followed the onyx cliff upward until it reached a place where it seemed trapped in the limitless sky.

All mortal words failed her as she tilted her head back in vain to see the top through the dense fog that seemed to only circle this one cliff.

Wading through the feathery grass San fought her way up the cliff, until at last she was lost in mists. The sense that she now stood in a place of epic value overtook her once again as she stood on the highest cliff. From here nothing below seemed real or important, and all she could do was simply hold her heart, emotions of a decade past. At last her eyes darted to the platform that was lined with sharp rocks where Asha had breathed her last breath.

Kneeling she watched the wind flicker through the soft blades of jade grass, and longer blades of pale green weeds. Further away from the edge of the cliff she saw small wooden crosses and plaques… And flowers of every color splayed out beneath the memorials… Closing her eyes she let her body sink to the earth.

_In her mind's eye she could see Lady Eboshi and her white clad women placing flowers across her mother's and Okkoto's grave, whispering their apologies._

_Had Lady Eboshi and her women lost people important to them as she had? Had they lost lovers as Dai had, and mothers as she herself had? Of course. _

Swallowing she let the tears slip from her tightly closed eyes. Whimpering she could see the thick black smoke of the battle that had taken her people's lives… And she could clearly imagine the battles that had taken place here.

With her eyes open she sat up and scooted over to a cross. Allowing her fingers to trace across the worn letters etched into the decaying wood she sighed, her body quivering.

_Brother & Son You're passing has been brave, and you're life has been a blessing._

Flowers were carved around the graceful letters. Inside she felt the heavy weight of sorrow press against her chest.

That was when the sound of feet thudding against the damp earth began to ring through San's head. Shoving herself up without a moment lost she dashed, hiding herself within the shade of the sharp rocks.

The sound of young sobs filled the air making San blink and wipe her own tears furiously away. Peeking around the thick tree her eyes caught sight of a young blonde girl with a bouquet of pink flowers and several fruits. The cool wind ripped past her, making her blush colored dress flutter from her small form, and making petals rush, like rain, from the bouquet and across the stunning azure skies. She walked only a foot further until she collapsed beside the wooden cross that San had been studying only moments ago.

She arranged the gifts, using the heel of her small hand to push the tears away. The girl looked to be maybe sixteen… Though as she sat beside the grave she was much younger… As Dai had been, she was lost in memories and sorrows and regrets. Her eyes watched the clear sky, puffy and red, and her lips moved, speaking words that San could not quite hear.

_She has lost as much as Dai has from this war…_ And the war kept going as the mortals refused to hold back, and the Gods were forced to protect their earth.

Standing San continued through the forest, out of the young girl's sight, heading towards the town.

_Humans are still disgusting. _Her mind hissed. But she couldn't stop herself from looking back one last time at the petite girl surrounded in a wind of pink petals and sorrow, glittering tears trailing down her tender cheeks…

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for reading :) and for the reviews, they really mean a lot to me. So anyway tell me what you think!

Blushing Petals


	7. Erokai's Eyes

Dislcaimer: I don't own Princess Mononoke, as much as I wish I did ;)

Crystal Ashes

Blushing Petals

Chapter 7: Erokai's Eyes

The village was everything she had expected it not to be…

On the edge of the small town limestone buildings, like smooth pink cloud, climbed into the foggy pewter sky, each trimmed with glowing green and blue shells, some with their pearly, white insides facing outwards to reflect the colors of the world surrounding it. The murderer in her mind that she called Erokai—the man that towered above all mortals with thin black hair and cunning and sickish faded blue eyes did not fit into this gentle, beautiful place.

Allowing herself to draw curiously closer she noticed that the smooth metal gates had no vicious guards or soldiers to keep visitors at a distance, as the tall gates of Iron Town had had. Tilting her head her eyes flickered, scanning her surroundings, until her eyes landed on a smooth statue that appeared to be made from compressed coral. Snarling she felt her face heat up.

The statue of a great bat stood in the center of the pathway just within the open gates. The bat's wings were open, caught in gusts of summer wind, and his huge eyes glittered, amber stones lodged in its coral head. Below it the statue of a small, genderless person knelt, its eyes staring at the ground below the bat's feet.

"_And it is this battle that caused Erokai's people to trap Yaro within him."_ In these lands Yaro seemed to be the creature that the people looked to as a life-giver. Scowling San pivoted, turning her back on the town, her stomach churning sickly. With the cold wind whipping around her small form she could hear the gaggle of human laughter and speech…

"_Their selfish leader will be lead into immorality, while the Clan of Bats will slowly rot away from existence." _Her heart thudded, a war drum beating wildly against her ribs. Huffing, her ears perked catching the sound of a gentle, feminine voice calling out to her.

"Hey!" The small bell-like voice rung out through the crisp air, making San's fire-filled eyes search the lush fields. Her eyes instantly caught sight of the blonde girl that she had seen near Asha's Cliff. As the girl drew closer San forced her muscles to relax. The girl waved and at last reaching San she giggled, her bright, sky blue eyes sparkling like lucid stars. "You must be a traveler! I'm Lyura!" The cheerful girl had her pink arm tucked into San's within moments, and was leading her towards the town of Haro. "So what's your name?"

"San." San replied with a forced smile—though not nearly half the rage she'd previously had still lingered within her at the sight of the mourning girl.

Walking beside Lyura, San could see the sorrow prickling at the edge of the girl's carefully assembled smile… If she hadn't watched the beautiful girl mourning she would have never noticed the sadness that lay silent within the girl…

Clenching her fist San eased her own expression and looked forward… Her arm still linked with Lyura's.

As they neared the town three young women appeared from seemingly nowhere to greet Lyura.

"Hi Lyu!" Each bellowed. Lyura's pink lips burst into a wide grin and instantly she motioned to San.

"Look! We have a traveler!" The three drew closer, each with some shade of blue eyes watching San curiously. The tallest (a girl that towered nearly seven inches above San's petite frame.) beamed, her fingers waving ecstatically.

"Wow! You must be from _far_ away!" She gasped, running a gloved hand through her sandy tresses. San frowned, watching them with wide, earthen eyes. "She's so pretty!" The girl declared to her three friends as she bounced giddishly.

Gritting her teeth, San inched backwards, wild thoughts of escape flashing rapidly through her mind.

"Wow… I've never seen someone with such dark eyes!" The other declared. This girl was dressed in lacey blue, like summer skies, that matched her wide, almost bulging eyes. Her face was flushed with pink.

"Her skin isn't sun-burnt…" The last acknowledge—a hopeless girl almost, with blotchy red skin. The others giggled, eying the girl, as though her ultimate pessimism was an everyday thing. San growled. "How's that possible? She looks like she's travelled awhile…" The girl stated unsurely.

If San were not busy trying to look through the bulgy, milk-blue eyes of the people of this stupid town, she would have already pummeled each of these vain girls… Except maybe Lyura—the only girl who did not scrutinize every aspect of San's small body…

"I'd better be heading home…" Lyura said quickly, perhaps the only one noticing the fire rising up in San's dark pupils. "Do you want to join me? Usually my father always lets me bring guests over! Especially travelers, since it's his job to find them a place in our inn to stay." San frowned in response.

"Do travelers come here often?" San asked unsurely making Lyura's eyebrows crease.

"Well… actually, no. They believe that our leader is cursed or something silly like that, so usually travelers stay away. But it gets kind of boring having only a few select people that come and go while the rest are faces that you see your whole life." San followed the girl, noting that their pace had been painfully slow. As if noticing San's disapproving look at the distance they'd made Lyura smile. "Oh… The clothes we wear here aren't like the clothes you're wearing at all, huh? Ours make the women move slow and make us bustle around like angry pigeons!" San couldn't help but laugh at the girl's statement. "I've never seen your clothes before… Where _are_ you from?"

San's mind instantly felt hot. She'd never imagined needing to have a whole background story. And she could clearly see that saying that she'd been raised by a wolf goddess was not an option. So instead she used the only town she'd ever heard of.

"Iron Town." San's words seemed to satisfy the young girl, even when they disgusted San.

"Oh! You're from _way _far." Chewing her thumbnail Lyura continued in her slow pace, moving like a spirit across the cobbled pathway. "Lady… Eboshi? I've heard lots of… umm…" Her wide, glimmering eyes caught San's, allowing her to catch the sparks of uncertainty that flickered through the girl's azure eyes. At last she huffed. "Anyway, is it nice there?" San snarled.

"No. It's disgusting, and thick with black smoke… My people live near the town. But never within it." Lyura giggled.

"You definitely look more… _earthy_ than I imagined someone from Iron Town would. I've heard that _Wolf_ Gods live within the forest, and that there's a girl that lives among them…" The girl smiled, her eyes now filled with liquid dreams. "I'm envious of her." She said at last, as though confiding a great secret. San frowned, her own giant eyes full of wonder.

"Why do you envy her?" The girl chewed her thumb once again, her head tilted carefully at San's question. As they walked she bowed and smiled to an elderly woman who passed, but her smile and intentions never quite reached her eyes. She was lost in her worried thoughts.

"My… My father told me that the holy men used to live beside the Gods, and that it was a great gift… He told me that the men smelled of fresh rain and pure earth, and that the women had eyes like rich soil, and skin like golden sun…" Sighing she leaned into her absurd dress. "You look like what I imagined, and hardly like the beady eyed inhabitants of Iron Town." San smiled softly, turning her smooth face towards the vast sky that now blushed in soft dusk. "Anyway… Only worthy souls can live among the Gods, and never dirty mortals." The last words left her mouth in a longing voice. San straightened her small form—her body rippling with health, the exact opposite of the fattened forms she'd seen all around.

"Mortals kill gods." She said at last, her body still rigid, memories tattooed into her muscles. Lyura's eyes flickered back to San in shock.

"I… I think that we should drop by my cousin's shop." The girl's voice was lined with a careful lack of emotion this time.

_Is that guilt for her ancestor's mistakes? Or is it rage that I would point it out?_

San's dark eyes danced with vicious fire as she scanned the small stands, until at last they settled once again on Lyura—a girl so vastly different from herself she wondered why fate would choose to unite them…

* * *

Aiko sat, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes—like brilliant, lush grass—trained on the tossing boy. At last Toki entered the room, her fingers combing through her now fresh hair.

"Just Iah and San." Aiko sighed, her own voice hoarse like Ashitaka's. Toki tilted her head.

"I just don't understand 'Iah'… I mean it's so…" At that moment Ashitaka's handsome face crumpled in agony as he screamed.

"Iah!" His body trembled, and his teeth chattered… his body shaking from the fierce pain. His pale flesh prickled with fresh sweat as his face lit with fear.

"He is afraid of her." Aiko said at last, her ivy eyes dancing across his form as he tried to push himself away from the demon that lurked within his fever dreams. Gasping Toki rushed to his side, rubbing his hand softly.

"It's okay…" She cooed. "Whatever it is, it doesn't exist in our world, little hero." Her voice seemed to soothe him, and slowly his movements calmed and he sunk back down, his voice humming San's name as though it were a lullaby. His fingers reached forward—reaching for the images that spun within the sickness. At last he smiled.

"He dreamt of San while you were gone, Toki." Aiko said, as though 'San' were not the constant word his voice spoke.

"So?" Toki's face was blank, her eyes glittering with grumpiness…

"It was… weird. I saw this glow that rested beside him… and it sprouted from his heart and forehead…"

"Maybe San did come. I have heard of stranger things…" Laughing, Aiko pulled a canteen of water from her apron. Pouring the pure, cool liquid into his waiting dry mouth she smiled.

"This boy saved us… How strange, that we are now the ones that stand so defiantly between him and death."

"Yeah, well _I_ think death will be running with his stupid tail tucked between his legs when we're done with him." Toki stated smugly, defiant eyes locked on Ashitaka…

His dry lips formed a the single word once again, his fingers raking the still air, his veins pumping blood rapidly through his form—as though he were locked in a battle….

As though he were losing, and desperately grasping for life.

* * *

"This is our home." Lyura said, her eyes twinkling and her body bouncing cheerfully once again. San gasped as she followed the limestone building as it stretched almost endlessly into the blue sky. Standing at its shell-encrusted doors two giant amber bats stood, their heads bowed. San stopped, her eyes wide as she stared at the figures, realization slowly inching across her golden flesh.

Lyura blinked, an unsure smile on her pallid cheeks as she watched San's small hands trace the figure.

"That's Yaro—the life giver." Lyura said, her own hands smoothing her dress. "He is the one who gave my fa—" Before she could finish her sentence a tall man stepped from the house, his arms throwing the doors open gallantly. His presence seemed to make the world stop, and the people on the street ended their interactions to smile and wave to him. San slowly looked to him, her body curling into itself—instinct demanding she prepare to be attacked.

He was not slimy and pale with black hair and blue eyes… Instead he had warm skin and wild golden hair… Gritting her teeth her eyes at last met with his eyes, like sunshine, that watched her from behind the blonde hair.

"Lyura! This is a traveler? I have not had a traveler here for many, many years!" Smiling, he promptly bent at his waist and bowed. "I am Erokai, Lyura's father… and the leader of this wonderful town." He laughed then, waving to a woman who fought her way through the crowd, her arms full of a fat, white haired baby. "And, of course, the keeper of that austere woman's house!" The woman's powerful stride instantly broke and she spun quickly to face him, her beautiful face scowling.

"Take that back right now!" She hollered, shaking her free fist at him wrathfully. He laughed, and she came up to hug him, her mouth and voice now joining his in a free, heart borne laughter. Lyura smiled.

"This is my father and mother." Lyura chimed, her small form now beside her family. San blinked… The sight of them all standing happily together made something deep within her whimper. Something she had not felt for a long time…

"It's good to meet you." San said, bowing as she'd seen the man do. He stepped away from the door and his wife curtseyed.

"Hello, I'm Naomi." She said. "And you are…?"

"San, from the lands near Iron Town."

"Ah. Well come in! We were just about to start dinner, and of course, there's no Inn here so you can stay with us! Our house has many guest rooms for such an occasion." San nodded and followed the woman inside, her eyes trailing back to the statue…

"What's the statue again?" She asked. Lyura smirked.

"Father will tell you the _whole_ story tonight at dinner… And, of course, if you happen to be unlucky enough to catch him in the gardens he'll tell you again… and just about any time he catches you, or anyone really, he tells the story."

"He's _proud_ of it." San said at last, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet. Surprised she searched the hallway with wide, night-sky eyes. It was her first time inside of a large and decadent home like this.

The smell of incense and human musk filled her head—nearly making her dizzy.

As they neared stairs that went both up and down a boy that looked much like Erokai appeared from the top of the stairs. His eyes were a stunning blue—like shards of pure sky. And he looked just as surprised to see her as she did him.

"Oh, that's my stupid brother Kinu." He came down the plush stairs.

"Brought a traveler Lyu?" He stopped before the pair, his eyes flickering across the room to San…

Erokai and his wife only exchanged glances before Naomi smiled widely.

"This is Kinu, San, he is our second son…" San didn't miss the sadness that bled through her words. _Images of Lyura atop Asha's Cliff pulsed through her mind…_ At last the boy stopped and bowed, his blue eyes darkening as he straightened himself out. "Why don't you show her the gardens? And get her comfortable! I've been delaying dinner, a-and oh!" Sighing she straightened her skirt in a way that seemed to be the entire towns' sign of nervousness. "I left Keenai asleep!" She hurried off, Erokai left behind, chuckling.

"You'll have a chance to meet our entire family at dinner." He said at last, his eyes tracing his wife's hurried movements as she rushed past Kinu. The respect for his wife glittered within his golden eyes. The sight of his awe-struck face made San's teeth clench—his was a mirror of her own Ashitaka's eyes watching _her_ like that. "Sorry for the rush… today's a rather… _hectic_ day. We're not always so rushed." Tilting his head he rushed off in the opposite direction as his wife. "I'll be in the basement." He hollered to no one in particular before his form disappeared behind a wooden door to the left.

Lyura looked exhausted, her face wrinkled as she watched her brother eying San.

"Her name's San…" Lyura said at last, sighing. "You know… he's not always like _this._" She said at last, turning towards San, as if to express that this was a confidential piece of information that passed between them. San blinked, unable to ignore the ice-like emotion that rolled off of him.

He was the first boy that she had seen since her Ashitaka…

But he was not her sun-kissed Ashitaka… He did not have Ashitaka's endless chocolate eyes, or earthy hair… Or his essence—the very core of Ashitaka's self that had lured her. His eyes, like patches of pure sky, stared like dazzling pools of blue fire… but they hardly held the blaze that flickered infinitely in Ashitaka's eyes.

"I'm Kinu." He said at last, his arms resting solidly across his chest, his eyes summing her up with a final dance up and down her form. San felt like prey—her worth being judged by the predator before he would make any concluding moves…

Standing taller she chewed her lip—reigning in her temper in a way that felt almost foreign.

"I know." She replied, holding him back with her own glare. Shock danced across his features, quickly replaced by a smug grin.

Lyura watched, her eyes darker than before. Shifting her weight and playing with the hem of her sleeve she sighed.

"Come, San, I have a beautiful garden to show you!" San watched the boy Kinu for a moment longer… Something sad lurked beneath his exterior… The same thing that pulsed within each of the family members' eyes…

_Whew I've had this done for forever but I never posted it!_

_BP with love_


End file.
